Rahab

turn your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 11 Hebrews chapter 11 I want to say thank you to Brother JD is stepping up here to lead the music with Pastor Caleb on the mainland right now and uh especially was hard for him because our pianist couldn't make it this morning so we were short of the piano and uh so they had to just kind of cover everything did a great job with that you did a great job of singing with him as well and I want to thank you for that Hebrews chapter 11 we're going to continue our series on broken uh we're talking about people that are broken that God he s and people that are broken that God uses from Hebrews chap 11 God's Hall of Fame the great Heroes of the faith and so today

we're going to look at one of those Heroes that's kind of an unlikely hero and that is in Hebrews chap 11 and look at verse number 31 it says by faith the Harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not when she had received the spies with Peace by faith the harlots Rahab uh she's not one you would think of as being being a great hero of the faith that's not a profession that you think of of people that are in the faith and that are recognizes God as Heroes but yet here is a a a woman that God brings and and and presents to us as a testimony as a hero of the faith you know when I read the story of Rahab and you can read it back in Joshua chapter 2 through about chapter 6 there and read

about her story and many of you familiar with it Rahab was uh they were uh getting ready to go into the promised land after 40 Years of wandering and the first city they had to conquer was Jericho one of the greatest cities of that day with great walls and remember they marched around the city and brought the walls down but before they went there Joshua sent two spies into the City and their job was just to check everything out before they before they went to this campaign that God had directed them to do and and uh when they went into the city somehow they got detected they got caught or caught out and so they were searching for them and they ended up in the house of Rahab and she hid them

and because she hid them uh God spared her and her family and then they became part of the heritage of Israel and uh it's it's kind of like in my mind when I read the Bible stories I like to imagine them and what they would have been like almost like a a movie or a a a book to kind of fill in the gaps there and when I think about the story of Rahab to me it's like an action movie you know these two spies they come in and they they they dress up they they probably stole some clothes that look like so they could look like the inhabitants of the city and they maybe learned a little bit of the language and try to get the accent right and they come into the main gate there and and U somehow or

another they're detected they're they're they're given away maybe their accent wasn't perfect or maybe they said something in Hebrew or or maybe it was something else that they did but somehow they got caught they they got recognized and and immediately the guards take after after them and they start running and you you know those scenes in the movie where they're running through the bizaar and they knock over the cart of oranges and they're uh pushing through people and they're jumping up on roofs and jumping across the roofs and then slide down the canopy and and all they're running all over the place they end up in the house of Rahab which was a house of prostitution there on that was out

right by the gate it was right on the wall and uh they ran in there and Rahab recognizes them or asks them who they are and they and she finds out and uh she has heard about the Israelites she's heard about their God and she decides that she's going to hide them and so she takes him up on the roof and she covers them over over and hides them and convinces the guards when they come that they're not there and that they've already gone over the wall and out the city and and it's just a an exciting story if you can use your imagination and it's a story this this is such an unusual story because first of all we have Rahab now Rahab is only the second woman mentioned here in Hebrews chapter 11 out

of uh the 16 people there's two woman there's Sarah and then there's Rahab and um you know women sometimes we forget that women are equal in the Lord and women are used by God in many ways throughout the scriptures the Bible says in Galatians chapter 3 and verse number 26 says for you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus in verse 28 it says there is neither Jew nor Greek there is neither Bond nor free there is neither male nor female for you're all one in Christ Jesus and we need to remember that both men and women are used by God uh people from all different nationalities used by God there's no se separation how God can use us for his glory and he used a woman named Rahab

for his glory now women are limited according to the word of God and their in what they can do they're not to be pastors they're not to be preachers uh 1 Timothy 2:12 says but I suffer not a woman to teach nor to usurp authority over the man but to be in silence and that doesn't mean she's not to talk in the church and participate and be involved but there are certain positions that are God has set aside for whatever his reasons for a man to fulfill but there's so many other things that a woman can do in serving the lord you go through scriptures and over and over again they were used of God in battle uh women were used of God in Ministry they were used of God in the lives of others and I'm

thankful for the women in this church who are used of God now rahab's name means proud or arrogant proud or arrogant um Rahab was a harlot she was a prostitute and probably had kind of a chip on her shoulder many times when you're a business like that you kind of want to prove yourself and and uh people look down on you and you got to have a chip on your shoulder and all and and she was a maybe she was proud and arrogant in Proverbs chapter 16 verse 18 it says Pride go before destruction and a hotty spirit before a fall you know sometimes we have to be willing to Humble ourselves and Rahab had to be willing to Humble herself to help out these spies she had to be willing to Humble herself to

realize that I can't save myself I need God to save save me you know Bible tells us in James 4 and verse number 10 humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He Shall lift you up you know what's really humbling is for the rest of your life and even for the rest of the world to know that you were a harlot because that's how she's identified throughout the scriptures she's identified as a harlot uh that's humbling to have people know that you came from that background to have people know that that was a sin in your life there's a lot of sins we don't want anybody else to know about because we're embarrassed about them we don't want to share them and sometimes that's what keeps us from

getting victory over that sin our unwillingness to Humble ourselves our unwillingness to ask for help our unwillingness to admit we've got a problem that that there's something wrong in our lives and and Rahab had to be willing to Humble ourselves and and be known as the Harlot and uh you know so sometimes it's hard to do but she came to realize I believe that what you were is not as important as what you are what you were is not as important as what you are turn to Romans chapter six if you would pardon my cough I'm I'm at the end of a cold here and I've got a little bit of tick on my throat that I have to deal with so I'll try to keep that down as much as possible Romans chapter 6 and

veres 20- 23 the Bible says for when you were the Servants of sin you were free from righteousness what fruit had you then and those things whereof you are now ashamed for the end of those things is death but now being made free from sin and become servants to God you have your fruit unto Holiness and the end to everlasting life for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ Our Lord you see Rahab was a harlot but now she was redeemed in Christ many of us we have sin in our background we have things that we're ashamed of things that we did or things that happened to us that that bring us shame and we really don't want people to know about it but we

need to realize that it's not important what you were what's important is what you are today what you are in Jesus Christ what God has done in your life to change you and and to make you the person that you are today Rahab is called the Harlot five out of six times in the Bible where she specifically mentioned uh you know it's interesting no one else that I can think of is called anything bad you know uh Moses wasn't Called Moses the murderer because he murdered somebody uh Jacob wasn't called Jacob the schemer uh David wasn't called David the adulterer or the murderer in fact David was called a man after God's Own Heart Abraham was called the friend of God and yet here is Rahab and the

Bible identifies her as Rahab the Harlot and I believe the reason this is because God wants us to understand that's what she want was and for many is in the r sit room the same thing that's what we were but not what we are turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 6 1 Corinthians chapter 6 and beginning with verse number n 1 Corinthians chapter 6 and beginning with verse number nine know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God be not deceived neither fornicators nor idolators nor adulterers nor feminine nor abuses themselves with mankind nor thieves nor Covetous nor drunkards nor revilers or extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God and such were some of you but you are

washed but you are Sanctified but you are Justified the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God see Rahab was a harlot but now she's Sanctified now she's Justified now she's saved and God has changed your life and God can change our lives no matter where we come from you know it's interesting that In this passage after what we just read that the the specific of all those sins that were listed in verses 9 and 10 there's one sin that has gone on to specifically be discussed if you look down further at verse number 15 it says know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ shall I then take the members of Christ and make the members of a harlot God forbid what know ye not

that he which is joined to a harlot is one body for two saith he shall be one flesh but he that is joined un the Lord is one Spirit flee fornication every sin that a man doeth is without the body but he that committeth fornication sinth against his own body what know you not that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you which you have of God and you're not your own for your bought with the price therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit which are Gods it's interesting that of all the sins that are listed in in verses 8 n uh 9 and 10 of all those sins God specifically calls out the sin of fornication and the reason is because I believe the sin of fornication has very

unique consequences we need to understand that that all sin has consequences in Galatians chapter 5 uh I'm sorry chapter 6 and verse 7 says be not deceived God is Not mocked for what so a man Seth that shall he also reap and so when we sin we are going to reap the consequences of our sin when you do wrong there's a price to pay for doing that wrong you never get away with your sin no matter what but it's it's interesting that the Bible tells us that the sin of fornication has very unique consequences it has a I think but first of all physical consequences it affects your body it's a sin against your own body the Bible tells us here in 1 Corinthians 71 it says now concerning things which were

whereever you wrote unto me is good for a man not to touch a woman and one of the reasons that's good to avoid the physical sin of fornication is because it can bring pregnancy un unmarried unwed pregnancy it can bring diseases and all kinds of other things uh fornication affects you physically I I have an ill illustration I use with the young people when I talk to them about being pure and keeping themselves for their future spouse their wife or their husband and and I give every one of the young people a toothbrush and I tell them I want you to save this toothbrush and on the day that you get married I want you to give this toothbrush to the person you're marrying I want you to say this is

my special gift to you to your new wife or your new husband and they all kind of look at me funny like why would I want to do that and I say but what I want you to to do is every girl or every guy that you're physically intimate with I want them to use this toothbrush and then when you get married you can give the toothbrush to that person that you're marrying now could you imagine if you were somebody you love gave you a toothbrush been used by five or six other people would you want to use that toothbrush would you want to put it in your mouth I I don't think so uh and and that's and something that's even more intimate than a toothbrush is the physical relationship ship and so why would we

come into marriage and say listen I'm going to give you my body which has been used by five or six other people but I'm going to give it to you you ought to save it physically for them it has a physical effect on us but it also has an emotional effect in Matthew chapter 19 verses 5 and six it says it said for this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife and they twain shall be one flesh wherefore they are no more Twain but one flesh what therefore God had joined together let no man put us under when you have physical relationships with somebody it's not only a physical Bond but it's an emotional bond and it talks about the word cleave the word cleave means to

glue together have you ever taken two pieces of wood and glued them together and then later try to separate them when you pull them apart wherever the glue was is going to pull pieces of the wood off the other piece uh it's always going to leave some of it behind and and that's what happens when you when you physically bond with somebody in a in a relationship uh when you break up with them uh you leave a little bit of yourself behind and so when you finally do find that right person for the rest of your life you're not able to give them all of you because you've left some of you behind with those other people it has an emotional effect when you connect with somebody physically it you

connect emotionally and when you come apart from each other you separate and you leave some of yourself behind it also has a a mental effect turn over to Proverbs Chapter 5 The Book of Proverbs chap 5 and look at verses 16-20 Proverbs 5 and: 16-20 he says let the like let thy fountains be dispersed abroad and rivers of water in the street Let There them be only thine own and not strangers with thee let thy Fountain be blessed and rejoice with the wife of thy youth let her be as a loving Hind and pleasant row let her breast satisfy thee at all times and be thou ravished always with her love and why wil thou my son be ravished with a strange woman and Brace the bosom of a stranger you know

when you're intimate with the number of people before you finally get married it it's going to have a mental effect on you there's a guilt that's going to stick with you for life I deal with people that have been married 20 30 40 years and are still struggling with the guilt of premarital sex sometimes with another person is sometimes even with their spouse but they didn't wait until marriage there's a regret of not waiting until uh till you are in your wedding bed to share that that that special time together I I I deal with a lot of people that struggle with comparing you know if you're with a number of different people before you finally get married what if one of those ones earlier on

was better than the one you're with what what what about the memories that are there you remember you used to do this with that person you used to do that with that person and and it it affects you mentally it it it creates another struggle within your marriage that you don't need you know one of the greatest things about marriage is the sacredness and the secret of marriage it used to be that when a couple got married it was the first time they saw somebody the opposite sex naked when a couple got married it was the only time they were with a person of a uh in an intimate relationship and there was a secretest there and there was a sacredness there that is no longer there when you are when

you are uh promiscuous and and you go out with other people and give yourself to them uh you lose that secret and you lose that sacredness that you have in a marriage relationship uh you don't have that uh and and when you are having other people in your life as well and then it affects you spiritually in Hebrews chapter 13 and verse number four it says marriage is Honorable in all and the bed undefiled but hor mongers and adulterers God will judge listen folks it's clear in the Bible that premarital sex sex outside of marriage is a sin it is wrong and when you sin it affects you spiritually uh turn over your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and look at verses

3-5 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and verses 3-5 for this is the will of God even your sanctification that you should abstain from fornication that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor not in the lust of concupisent even as the Gentiles which know not God you see you need to realize that God's plan God's purpose for your life is to be pure and to keep yourself for the one you're married to and them only if you're married to stay pure if you're not married to keep yourself pure for marriage and and and you need to have that that understand that the sin of fornication has unique consequences and it will affect you in ways that you don't even understand

and all sin has consequences and all sin will affect you in some way but this one more so than any other sin God pointed that out and we need to understand that go over to the Book of John chapter 8 you say well Pastor what if what if it's too late what if I've already done this what if I've already committed sin well Rahab the Harlot had already Comm committed sin but God forgave her that's the grace of God but look what it says here in John chapter 8 uh the verse number three it says and the scribes and the Pharisees brought unto a woman taken in adultery and when they set her in the midst you know it's interesting they caught her in the act of adultery so that means there had to be a man

caught too but they didn't bring the man to to Jesus they brought the woman to Jesus sometimes we got a double standard don't we and you men have to be pure as well and men have to keep themselves pure for their future spouse as well you know sometimes we hear the statement well boys will be boys Bible says in Matthew chap 5: 27- 28 you have heard it was said by them of old time thou shall not commit adultery but I say unto you that whosoever lookth on a woman to lust after committed adultery with already in his heart that that the idea of fornication there it comes from a Greek word pornea and let me say something something men not only should you keep yourself pure and not having

premarital ex but you should also keep yourself pure and not looking at porn see when you look upon a woman with lust in your heart it's a sin also looking at porn is like taking that toothbrush for your future spouse and put it in the toilet don't do it it's going to mess you up you you don't need to go that route get get to get victory over that get it out of your life but the Bible says in John 8 and verse number four they say unto him Master this woman was taken in adultery in the very act now Moses and the law commanded us that that which should be that such should be stoned but what sayest thou and they said this tempting him that they might have to accuse him of but Jesus stooped down

and with his finger rote on the ground as though he heard them not I wonder if he's writing down to all of their sins or something like that so when they continued asking him he lifted himself up and said unto them he that is without sin among you let him cast a stone at her and again he stooped down and rode on the ground and they which heard it being convicted by their own conscience went out one by one beginning at the eldest even unto the last and Jesus was left alone and the woman standing in the midst and when Jesus had lifted up himself and saw none but the woman he said unto Heroman Where Art Thou where are those thine accusers hath no man condemned thee she said no man Lord and

Jesus said unto her neither do I condemn thee go and sin no more you see Rahab the Harlot was a harlot up until she got saved and then no more and folks if youve if you're guilty of adultery if you're guilty of fornication if you're guilty of pornography well then you need to confess it get it right with God and just don't do it again don't go down that road in in Proverbs Chapter 7 if we had time i' turn over there it it warns the young man the simple man don't go by the way of the Temptation don't go where you're going to be tempted tempted and we need to realize that that you don't want to go there and we need to realize that um it's not good for us you young ladies you want to you want a

guy that respects you enough not to ask for sex and and and you want to be a girl that respects herself enough to stay pure and and you need to be realized that this is a sin that will affect you in ways that you don't even understand you see this is what she was but then what did she become the Bible says in Romans chapter 8 verse number one there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit I'm thankful that it's not what we were it's what we can be in Christ it's what we can become in Jesus Christ you see Rahab was a sinner saved by grace the Bible tells us in James chapter 2 turn over there with me if you would James

chapter 2 we read about ra Raab again in verse number 25 it says likewise also was not Rahab the Harlot justified by works when she had received the messengers and has set them out another way now when the Bible says that she was justified by her works it doesn't mean she was saved by her works the Bible tells us very clear in Ephesians chapter 2: 8 and9 for by grace are you saved through faith then not of yourselves it's the gift of God not of Works lest any man should boast in fact if you look at the context on Wednesday night I'm teaching how to study your Bible one of the things I emphasized to this last Wednesday is always look at the context of the verse that you're reading and so

we'll go back up in this In this passage verse number 23 it says the scripture was fulfilled which sayith Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness who was called the friend of God you see then how that by works a man is Justified not by faith only like likewise also was not Rahab the Harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and has sent them out another way for the body without spirit is dead so faith without works is dead also what it's saying here is that Abraham and Rahab both were saved by believing in God the Bible says in Romans chap 10: 9- 10 that if Thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and Sh believe in thine heart that God has

raised the dead Thou shalt be saved for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation in Romans 10:13 it says for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved and so you have to believe in Jesus Jesus Christ as your savior to believe in the promise of God Rahab believed in God's promise to save her and we need to believe in God's promise to save us as well and we're saved by believing but if you're truly saved then people are going to know it how do we know that Rahab was saved because her her works because she she trusted in God because she hid the spies because she believed in God's promise and when we are saved is

going to show in our lives by our works but we're not saved by our works we're not saved by what we do alone see she didn't just believe in God she believed in the power of God look at James chapter 2 look at verses 18 and 19 yeah a man may say thou has faith and I have Works show me thy faith without thy works and I will show thee my faith by my Works thou believest that there's one God thou doest well the Devils also believe and tremble you see she didn't just believe in God there was a lot of people that believed in the god of Israel because they'd heard the stories but she believed in the power of God to save her and today you need to believe in the power of God to save you through Jesus

Christ and you need to put your faith and trust in him go over to the Book of Romans chapter 5 Romans chapter 5 you see she was saved by faith but she also understood that when faith when you're saved by faith then Grace abounds but also I need to live the life that God wants me to live live look at Romans CH 5 look at verses number 20 through chapter 6:2 look at Romans 5:20 moreover the law entered that the offense might abound but where sin abounded Grace did much more abound that as sinath reigned unto death even so might grace Reign through the righteousness un eternal life by Jesus Christ Our Lord what shall we say then shall we continue in sin that Grace May abound God forbid how shall

we either dead to sin live any longer therein you see Rahab understood this idea that that yes I was a heart but now I'm saved and through the grace of God I can be something else and and she realized that by by God's grace I'm a forgiven but that doesn't mean I can continue in my sin I can continue doing what I did before and our lives need to be changed if we're truly saved then God is going to change our lives and he's going to change our desires he's going to change Us From the Inside Out see our sin does not have to Define Us in John 2 and ver2 the Bible says I write unto you little little children because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake you don't have to be the person

that you were you can be the person that God wants you to be now when we sin as Christians what do we do 1 John 1:9 if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins that cleanse us from all righteousness and I'm thankful for the grace of God and I'm thankful that he will forgive me when I sin but I need to realize because I'm saved I don't have to do that sin anymore I I can live a different life I can live the life that God wants me to live I can be a new person in Christ and that's the challenge of Rahab to each one of us I told you earlier that five out of six times that Rahab has mentioned in the Bible in the New Testament she's called Rahab the Harlot you know the

one time she's not called Rahab the Harlot in Matthew chapter 1 verse 5 it says and salmon begat Boaz of raob or Rahab and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth and Obed begat Jesse Rahab the Harlot was in the genealogy of Jesus Christ she was the great great great great grandmother of Jesus Christ you know it says that Salon begat Boaz we don't know a lot about Salon in the Bible but there are a number of uh Jewish Scholars that believe he was one of the two spies that went into Jericho wouldn't that be wouldn't that be fun wouldn't that be amazing that this Harlot is now married to a man of Israel a leading man of Israel he was well known that's the grace of God that this woman that was a harlot that

ran a house of prostitution is now the great great great great great grandmother of Jesus Christ that's the grace of God folks you know what's amazing 1 John chapter 3: 1 through3 behold what manner of love the father have bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God therefore the world knowth us not because it knew him not beloved now are we the sons of God it does not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is and every man hath this hope in himself purify himself even as he prayer you may never be the great great great grandparent of Jesus Christ but you can be the joint heir of Christ the child of God

what a privilege what an honor and I hope that rahab's life will challenge you that God can take somebody that was so broken so mess messed up why did she go into prostitution we don't know maybe she had no choice maybe she was abused as a child maybe she was forced into the situation we we don't know but we know by the grace of God that he saved her out of that and made her new in Jesus Christ and even though she will always have that past that doesn't change she had a whole different future and no matter what your past no matter what you've done no matter where you come from you can make the decision if you have this hope in yourself to purify yourself even as he is pure you can make the

decision I'm not going to look at porn anymore because that's not good you can make the decision that I'm going to be pure maybe maybe you've not not been pure up to this point but I'm going to say today forward I'm going to save myself for the person I'm going to marry you can make the decision that whatever that sin that had control in my life whatever I was known for before maybe you weren't known as the Harlot maybe you're known as the angry person maybe you're known as the you know whatever else it might have been the schemer like Jacob I'm not going to be that person anymore because in Jesus Christ I can be new in Jesus Christ I can be changed in Jesus Christ I have hope in Jesus

Christ I am a child of God but the question is are you a child of God in John chapter 1 and verse number 12 but as many as received him to them gave you the power to become the children of God even to them that believe on his name have you believed on the name of Jesus Christ have you believed on the power of God to save you from your sin to give you eternal life to change you to a new person I'm thankful for the grace of God because I'm not who I was I am who I am in Jesus Christ and so can you